Patient's late night bed move shock

Carol Chambers was ordered to vacate the bed she occupied to make way for another patient

Written by Poppy Brady
20/03/2013 01:04 PM

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UNHAPPY: Carol Chambers

HOSPITAL PATIENT Carol Chambers is still traumatised after she was ordered by a nurse at a Birmingham hospital at late night to vacate the bed she occupied to make way for another patient.

Chambers who had spent 11 days in Birmingham’s Heartlands Hospital recalled that the order came at 11.15 pm on March 3.

Without explanation, she was moved to another section of the same ward.

“I’ve since had no apology and been given no reason why I had to be moved so late at night,” complained the elderly woman, from Handsworth, who was discharged the following day.

“The staff on the ward simply said ‘there’s an elderly lady coming who needs this bed. I said to them ‘well so do I.’ When I asked them why she couldn’t have been moved to the spot I ended up in, they couldn’t give me a proper explanation.”

Chambers was admitted to Heartlands with vomiting following surgery late last year to have her gall bladder removed at the same hospital.

She used to run her own cleaning company until she was attacked outside her home two years ago by thugs, who broke her ankle and caused cuts to her face and body.

Dr Steve Smith, associate medical director at Heartlands Hospital, said: “We take the views of our patients and their relatives very seriously and are very sorry to learn that Ms Chambers is unhappy with the care she received whilst at Heartlands Hospital.”

Dr Smith explained: “A patient would not be asked to swap beds unless it was medically safe to do so. We operate a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week service with a large number of people needing and using our services overnight as well as during the day.”

He added: “The care and safety of all our patients is very important to us and there are times, especially in emergencies, when patients must be moved in order to allow for another patient to be placed on the ward.

“Unfortunately, due to patient confidentiality, we cannot comment on any individual’s treatment, however we would urge Ms Chambers to get in touch with us immediately so we can discuss her concerns further.”

Posted on: 20/03/2013 01:04 PM

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